Game In 10: Game 81, Leafs vs. Lightning

by Mislav Jantoljak on April 5, 2012 in Post Game - 837 Comments

Boxscore | Ice Time | Recap

It was the first game back in the ACC for Keith Aulie and that was about it. Game with little to no meaning will do that to your overall viewing experience. At least we won, right? Right?

1 – The Leafs are 35-36-10 and the NHL draft lottery will be on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on TSN.

2 – Good chance for Liles early but he’s denied by Roloson. Solid start by the Leafs but the Lightning score first after a centering pass puck takes a deflection of St. Louis and goes behind Scrivens.

3 – Immediately after, Tampa made a bad change, Gardiner  walks in and makes a great pass to Connolly, who really couldn’t miss that one. Jake Gardiner people, he’s my positive for the season. Kessel and Lupul are too, but I just can’t get enough of this kid.

4 – A somewhat solid 1^st period by the Leafs, who outshot Tampa 13-8. Created chances and kept Stamkos quiet for the most part.

5 – Middle of the second offered some breakaway chances, the main one being a Stamkos one, but the star scorer misses the net. Roloson then makes a huge save on Bozak after Kessel once again showed his playmaking skills.

6 – Scrivens was really solid in net tonight, frustrating Stamkos all period long. Tampa really turned on in the second, they fired 18 shots in the period which put the shot total 26-18 in favor of the Lightning.

7 – Carter Ashton was getting into a lot of faces on that Lightning team, which is what you like to see if you’re Randy Carlyle.

8 – Stamkos couldn’t be kept of the board for too long. The guy finds space in scoring areas and is anything but one dimensional. He knows how to evade coverage like few players of this era, which is exactly what he did on the goal. Got to the net and put in an easy tip in for his 59^th goal of the season. I’m somewhat Pierre McGuiresque here, but at least I have hair.

9 – Jake Gardiner proves the 3rd point of tonight’s Game In 10 as he banks one in (putting it kindly) of Connolly (not our Connolly). Phaneuf gets one after a Kessel shot and wins it in overtime. Tank Nation must be mad.

10 – A game with no real intensity, some good scoring chances. The real story was the goaltenders. Meh.

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